Brandon Pfaadt earned his league-leading seventh win of the season as the Arizona Diamondbacks powered past the Los Angeles Dodgers 9-5 on Monday night at Dodger Stadium. The win was fueled by a trio of two-run home runs and continued a rough stretch for the National League West-leading Dodgers, who have now lost four consecutive home games.
Oddsmakers had listed the Dodgers as slight favorites heading into the series opener, with most sportsbooks placing them around -135 on the moneyline. The Diamondbacks, looking to bounce back from a stretch of inconsistent play, entered underdogs at +115. The fifth inning exceeded the projected run total of 8.5, as both teams combined for six home runs.
Pfaadt delivered six solid innings, allowing three earned runs on five hits while walking one and striking out none. He held the Dodgers hitless through the first three innings before Mookie Betts connected for a solo home run in the fourth. Pfaadt improved to 7-3 and became the first pitcher in Major League Baseball this season to reach seven victories.
Arizona built a 7-0 lead by the third inning. The scoring began in the first, when Eugenio Suárez doubled in a run, Josh Naylor added an RBI groundout, and Geraldo Perdomo lifted a sacrifice fly. A communication mishap in the Dodgers’ outfield contributed to the early deficit when rookie center fielder Hyeseong Kim failed to call off right fielder Teoscar Hernández on Suárez’s fly ball, which fell between them for a double.
The Diamondbacks added to their advantage with two-run home runs by Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Gabriel Moreno in the third inning off Dodgers reliever Landon Knack. Fans at Dodger Stadium voiced their frustration as the home team fell behind 7-0.
Los Angeles responded with a pair of home runs. Betts’ solo shot in the fourth was followed by back-to-back homers from Shohei Ohtani and Betts again in the sixth, cutting the deficit to 7-3. The sequence marked the first time the Dodgers had hit consecutive home runs since Game 5 of the 2024 World Series against the New York Yankees.
Arizona answered in the eighth inning when Perdomo, batting in the ninth spot, hit the team’s third two-run homer, this time off Matt Sauer, extending the lead to 9-3.
The Dodgers added two late runs but were unable to close the gap. Shelby Miller recorded the final out to earn his fifth save of the season.
Dodgers opener Jack Dreyer allowed three runs over the first two innings and was charged with the loss, falling to 2-2. The defeat extended a troubling stretch for Los Angeles, which has given up at least six runs in five of its last seven games and was recently swept by the last-place Los Angeles Angels.
The series continues Tuesday night with Arizona sending right-hander Ryne Nelson to the mound for his second start of the season. Nelson enters with a 1-1 record and a 5.13 earned run average. The Dodgers will counter with Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who brings a 5-3 record and a 2.12 ERA into the game.
